Latest news with #Healy-Rae
Agriland
a day ago
- Business
- Agriland
Healy-Rae launches report on horticulture education
Minister of State with responsibility for horticulture, Michael Healy-Rae, has launched a report into the available of courses for studying horticulture. The Horticulture Education Review Report was launched at the Bord Bia Bloom Festival by the minister today (Friday, May 30). The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said that the report delivers on a strategic action in the National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027, which includes a commitment to review horticulture course availability and suitability for a modern dynamic industry. The report includes a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a new committee called the Horticulture Education Leadership Group (HLEG). This committee would be tasked with assisting with reviews of horticultural educational content at all levels. That committee would also be tasked with preparing material that can be used by education providers and industry stakeholders to promote and market horticulture as an attractive and rewarding career. The HLEG committee should also work on an all-Ireland basis to share information on horticulture promotion. Commenting on the new report, Minister Healy-Rae said: 'I would like to thank the authors of the report, Dr. Owen Doyle and Brian Arnold for their work in completing this important review. 'The recommendations in the report set out clear actions for the horticulture sector to take forward to enhance its attractiveness as a future career choice. 'Launching the report at Bloom 2025 is particularly relevant as we celebrate and showcase all that is great about our horticulture sector, from gardens, plants and food produce; including its skilled professionals – landscape gardeners, florists, commercial growers, farmers, academics, advisors and scientists – the key foundation on which the horticulture industry is built,' the minister added. He thanked the horticulture industry, retailers and education providers for their engagement on the report. 'The recommendation to establish a new Higher Education Leadership Group that will input into the curriculum content and coordinate advocacy campaigns will be key to inspiring the next generation of horticulturists into this important and dynamic sector,' Minister Healy-Rae said. He added: 'I particularly welcome the focus on a 'global horizon' ensuring that our future graduates at all levels will have the required knowledge and skills to further advance sustainable practices and drive continued innovation in the sector.'
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Danny Healy-Rae's vote move riles up the Coalition
Danny Healy-Rae has angered Coalition leaders after calling a Dáil vote against the Government's position in an 'undemocratic and unprecedented move'. The Independent TD, a supporter of the Government, took the highly unusual step of calling a vote on a People Before Profit-Solidarity Bill to ban fox hunting at the 'first stage', when typically all pieces of legislation are allowed to proceed to 'second stage' where they can be debated. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, seemingly unaware a Government-supporting TD had called the vote, on Thursday condemned Sinn Féin for voting against the Bill passing to second stage, saying it showed a 'sense of populism' and a 'lack of backbone'. Danny Healy-Rae. Pic: Alan Rowlette/ He said that an individual TD, be it a member of a party, a backbencher or an independent, 'should have the right to at least bring legislation forward, and… to introduce it to second stage, where then there is a debate'. Mr Healy-Rae's brother Michael, the junior minister at the Department of Agriculture, was absent for the vote, while Michael Lowry – the de facto leader of the Government-supporting Regional Independent Group – also voted against. The Government is opposed to the legislation itself, but voted it through to the second stage for debate on a point of principle. Coalition sources called Mr Healy-Rae's decision to call the vote 'not just unusual', but 'unprecedented in 20 years'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Bloom. Pic: Liam McBurney/PA Wire A Government spokesman commented: 'The decision to call a vote on this Bill at first stage means that in effect this has become a vote on the right of a TD to table legislation. It would be undemocratic and unprecedented in the modern parliamentary era for the Government to vote down the right of a legislator to table a Bill at first stage. We are clear that the vote should not have been called at this stage, and it is not good practice for TDs to be denied their right to table bills. 'For that reason the Government will vote for the Bill at first stage but will oppose it at second stage.' At the Bloom festival in Dublin on Thursday, the Taoiseach said he was 'shocked' to hear Sinn Féin had voted against the Bill at the first stage. has asked Mr Martin's spokesman if the Taoiseach was aware Mr Healy-Rae had called the vote at the time he made those comments. A response was not received by time of publication. Danny Healy-Rae. Pic: Leon Farrell/ Mr Healy-Rae defended his position on Thursday. He told the 'Things like that I have my own knowledge and I couldn't vote at any stage for fox hunting to be banned. 'If they got away with that maybe the next time they'd stop a farmer from shooting a fox. And I know what the fox has done even to my own son this year. Wherever the ewe had two lambs, the fox took one of them. The ewe can only take care of one. So that's one of the things. That was replicated right around the place and that's pure nonsense, the foxes have taken over. 'I couldn't allow that… I knew what I was doing from the first minute with that Bill. I met one deputy that didn't know that a fox would kill a lamb. I won't say his name out of respect.' Asked who had called the 'unprecedented' vote, Mr Healy-Rae, said: 'You've got me there, I called for it… What benefit is it to allow it to go through only to vote against it anyway? Wasting money and there are important Bills sitting there in the Bills Office and to think we would clog it up further? It doesn't make common sense to me anyway.' The Bill passed to the second stage despite Mr HealyRae's opposition.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Agriland
Farmers and public urged to think farm safety during summer
Farmers and the general public are being called on to think farm safety during the busy summer months, when tractors and machinery are frequently out on the roads and farms are busy. Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety, Michael Healy-Rae, has asked farmers and everyone visiting the countryside to be extra vigilant. Speaking today (Wednesday, May 28), Minister Healy-Rae said: 'The weeks ahead will be a busy time on farms up and down the country. Children are beginning their holidays and many of us will be out and about enjoying the countryside. 'It is important that we are safety conscious over the summer,' he added. With tractors and large machinery moving on public roads, the minister reminded farmers and contractors to ensure that all precautions are in place to prevent the risk of an incident. He stressed the importance of contractors and farmers ensuring that measures are in place to address all safety hazards before work begins. Minister Healy-Rae said: 'Machinery operators driving on public roads need to be conscious of other road users as many may not be aware of the risks posed by farm machinery, particularly on narrow, winding roads. 'The Irish countryside is a wonderful amenity which we should all take advantage of, and I am calling on all road users to be patient and to be aware of farming activities at this time of year, he added. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is advising farmers to check that there are good lines of sight when accessing public roads from yards and fields. Warning signs and cones should be used to alert road users of machinery movements. Any debris or soil brought onto a public road by machinery should be removed without delay. The minister also highlighted the risk posed by livestock and advised that fields with livestock should be avoided and dogs should always be kept on a lead to avoid disturbing livestock or wildlife. He said: 'By working together to keep everyone safe, our memories of summer can be ones we will look back on fondly.'
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Think farm safety this summer, minister warns
In the lead-up to the June bank holiday weekend, farm safety minister Michael Healy-Rae has asked farmers and everyone visiting the countryside to take extra care this summer. Mr Healy-Rae said: 'The weeks ahead will be a busy time on farms up and down the country. Children are beginning their holidays, and many of us will be out and about enjoying the countryside. It is important that we are safety conscious over the summer. 'Machinery operators driving on public roads need to be conscious of other road users, as many may not be aware of the risks posed by farm machinery, particularly on narrow, winding roads. "The Irish countryside is a wonderful amenity which we should all take advantage of, and I am calling on all road users to be patient and to be aware of farming activities at this time of year," he said. Farmers should use warning signs and cones where entrances have poor visibility, and any debris or soil brought onto a public road by machinery should be removed without delay. Mr Healy-Rae also advised the public to avoid fields with livestock and to keep dogs on leads. 'By working together to keep everyone safe, our memories of summer can be ones we will look back on fondly," he added. Read More HSA issues warning amid 'concerning rise' in workplace fatalities
The Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Bill to ban 'cruel and inhumane' fox hunting in Ireland introduced to Dáil
A BILL THAT would ban 'cruel' fox hunting in Ireland has been introduced to the Dáil. But the Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill was immediately opposed by two rural TDs, who said foxes pose concerns for farmers. People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger, who introduced the bill, said it was 'unprecedented' for a bill to be opposed at first stage. She said she believed it was the first time a bill banning fox hunting was introduced in the Dáil. She said that fox hunting had already been banned in England, Scotland and Wales for over two decades and remained in Ireland as 'a relic' of British rule. She said foxes in Ireland are dug out of the ground, attacked by packs of dogs and sometimes 'torn apart'. Trail hunting, snaring and traps will also be included in the ban under her bill. 'I believe that fox hunting is a cruel and inhumane so-called blood sport,' Coppinger told the Dáil. 'It clearly causes unnecessary suffering, packs of dogs chasing after a fox relentlessly is obviously a very stressful and unnatural situation. 'Foxes are our last wild dog in Ireland and they should be protected.' She cited a 2019 RED C opinion poll, commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, that indicated 77% believe fox hunting should be banned, and said that 74% of people polled who lived in rural areas believed it should be banned. Foxes 'serious concern to farmers' The bill was opposed at first stage by Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins and Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, which Coppinger said was 'unprecedented'. 'I've never stopped a bill from going to second stage,' she told the Dáil, arguing that it was a 'stifling' of freedom of debate. Advertisement Collins said that foxes were classed as a pest and that foxes can cause 'a serious concern to many farmers', as well as native bird species. 'The next thing we'll be inside here looking to see can we protect the rat and the mouse,' he told TDs. 'No one wants to protect the human beings, that's the problem here from what I can see.' He said there are fines of thousands of euros if there are breaches of existing fox hunting rules. 'Foxes do pose huge threats to farmers, I suppose if you were brought up in rural Ireland you'd understand that.' Healy-Rae said that people 'from all corners of Kerry' had got in touch with him 'to ensure that we stop this, where it's being tried to start'. 'They're all over the place' He claimed that 11 out of 12 hens owned by a constituent were killed by a fox. 'The numbers have increased dramatically. They're all over the place. They're coming into towns and villages. They're in and out of bins and they are everywhere. 'They have taken over, they have completely taken over the place.' Healy-Rae said he was calling a vote on the issue before being told by Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy that he could not do that. 'If I'm going to call a vote, I let you know,' she said. Chief whip Mary Butler said the government was not opposing the bill at first stage but would consider it at second stage. 'As is normally the case with Private Members' Business, the bill will not be opposed at first stage, that is the process. 'If and when the bill is listed for second stage, like all other Private Members Business, the government will then consider the matter at that point.'
